Was thinking of getting a new mixer (dj style) to mix the elektron boxes AR, A4.
I like the look of Allen n heath DB4 but its a digital mixer. The fx on it look great.
Am i thinking too much in that it will take away the analogue sounds?
i’ve been using a digital mixer in the chain since i re-started (again) making some music with an hardware setup only and well, it didn’t last tooo much in there 
regardless of whether it’s digital or analog, you do add ‘something’ in between your machines and your ears…and whether the end result is ‘good’ or not, well, that’s more of a personal taste thing i guess (or someone else’s of course 
)
Once i had a Db4
Sounded good BUT
Drivers suck, if disconnexted from computer accidently, the application (Ableton/ traktor) has to be closed and opened again… not really nice 4 your gig
Build quality is not too good (many people complain about leaking faderd)
Fx structure is not that nice. Why only one fx at the time for one track
And the loop was not perfect in sync.
So i sold mine…
now i use kaoss pad 3
Really cheap, fx suck, loop perfectly in sync.
I think for the price, buy a 12 track mixer, buy some amazing fx and use them in parallel. Also buy HEAT and you have better equipment with better possibilities for the same price.
If you use a computer, you can buy a&h 43 C and use it with traktor fx…
Thanks for replys. Didnt know about build quality. Ive saw some reviews and they all said it was good.
I already have a old mackie 16 channel desk…1604vlz pro i think…but i quite like the dj mixing style, cueing, one fader for stereo channels. Maybe i should revisit it and think about fx with it.
A&H also have a new analogue mixer comin out PX5 which looks decent too…has midi, fx sends .
A digital mixer isn’t going to take away your analogue sounds, unless it’s actually broken. Think of it like how you can listen to analogue synths that have been recorded in a daw, or printed to a wav file, or on youtube, or as mp3s. If it’s not actually broken, digitisation won’t mess with your sound.
1 Like
In general, I do not find digital mixers to be a dealbreaker, as long as you can hear how your sounds will come out from such a device.
I have not yet heard an A/D converted stereo signal that retained all of it’s analog domain characteristics - whether this is psychological/placebo or not I don’t know. Something always seems lost in the process, similar to what happens to a signal during dynamics compression? However, as long as I am monitoring everything post-conversion, I get used to the sound and can compensate things in the mix. My only disappointments have been instances where I was monitoring the analog signal while recording, and only later hearing the post-conversion result. And the diff is noticeable to me only on headphones, not sure I’d notice anything via monitors since the change is very subtle.
Does it absolutely have to be a digital mixer though? I have a ecler nuo 2.0 and I can totally vouch for their sound quality. ecler makes three and more channel versions too, and they are usually priced quite reasonably. Or is it the inbuilt fx you need?
It dosent have to be a digital, in fact id prob prefer analogue due to AR and A4. Its just the fx section of the db4 looks good. You can effect each of the 4 channels individually. Also liked the look of the eq section where it can be eqs or switched to be a filter section. I really do like a filter per track on a dj mixer.
I took a look at the ecler nuo range. They do look like good (analogue too) mixers. Has fx send so could hook up Elektrons A Heat and pioneers RMX fx unit for similar funds…this would only be able to have one effect applied at a time tho (althogh each channel has own send). Plus dont have filter per channel…mmm I wish I could design my own mixer lol…compromises suck
1 Like
also… i was amazed db4 didn’t have a midi port in out or tru
Ther px5 does. As well as a Insert fx on master which could be used for compressor 
Plus analogue…has fx on unit with send /return too so could effect a couple of things simultaneously …
Only you know which features are paramount to your workflow. So research thorroughly and take your time choosing the best possible solution. Don’t get too hung up about whether it’s analog or digital, pick the one with the best featureset and physical footprint for your needs.
We all want different things. I used to have a Xone 4D, which was kinda ok, but eventually I had to swap it because the thing was:
- just to damn big, lugging it around was quite inconvenient
- Other DJs had probs using it due to slightly esoteric UI wrt filters etc
- only needed two channels after all for DJing, and four channels didn’t feel like enough for music gear use
So now I have a 12MTK for music gear and the nuo 2.0 for the decks. This combo works much better for me in practice than a just a 4ch DJ mixer. But YMMV as always, so exhaust all the options available.
yup thats what Im in the middle of doing…